DEFENCE, SECURITY & AEROSPACE

Beyond the needs of CCTV

Defence, security & aerospace

Beyond the needs of CCTV, specialist cameras using sensors with ultra-high
resolution or extended wavelength sensitivity are coupled with image
processing algorithms for applications providing visibility through smoke and
fog in fixed and mobile scenarios.

The LXE300 Direct Connect line light and Connect-a-Light line light, Prox spot light and Brick spot light ranges of machine vision lights from Smart Vision Lights are now available in SWIR (Short Wavelength InfraRed) wavelengths. This opens up an extensive number of application opportunities not possible using visible light.

The new microEnable5 marathon VCX-QP frame grabber from Silicon Software allows up to four CoaXPress cameras to be connected simultaneously with a bandwidth of 25 Gbit/s. An on-board FPGA vision processor is fully programmable using VisualApplets for high performance image processing.

With the new bonNDTinspect® system, Automation W+R enables the reliable assessment of surfaces that are to be bonded, painted or otherwise treated in subsequent process steps. The system is based on a patent held by Fraunhofer IFAM and machine vision components from STEMMER IMAGING.

In March 2015, in the Indian Ocean, 200 km west of Shark Bay, Western Australia, the combined teams at Western Australian Museum and Curtin University, lowered their remote operated vehicles into the sea. Armed with a variety of cameras and sensors, the aim was to explore a pair of shipwrecks from WW2; the HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran, and reveal a deeper understanding of why they now sit on the seabed.

Industrial vision plays an important role in reading unique identifiers in the form of 1D or 2D codes, alphanumerics or even braille for tracking and tracing applications in industries as diverse as aerospace, automotive, healthcare and pharmaceutical. Specialist vision systems integrators are frequently used to design systems for complex code reading tasks requiring extremely precise triggering and encoding to the manufacturing process. The choice of image processing software is important in complex imaging environments.

Basic requirements

Codes may be printed or etched directly onto components or attached on labels. The vision system should have a camera and lens with sufficient resolution to read the particular code, an illumination system that allows the image to be produced with the necessary contrast, appropriate image processing software and a processor capable of running the software. The codes may need to be read at very high speed and at a number of different locations and the code reading process may be one vision task as part of a number of vision inspections in an overall quality inspection procedure.

Software solutions

Sherlock is an advanced machine vision software interface from Teledyne DALSA featuring a comprehensive suite of proven tools and capabilities that includes advanced pattern finding tools for object alignment and tools to read and verify 1D and 2D codes, as well as printed, moulded or stamped text (OCR). While these are essential requirements, it is Sherlock’s versatility that has such appeal for vision systems integrators. It allows mixing of imager type, resolution and interface in the same application and supports synchronous and asynchronous triggering.

Sherlock is ideally suited for use with multicore processors, offering the flexibility needed for different inspection speeds and machine cycle times. It is possible to set the software to use a single core, or all cores, allowing intensive processing inspections to use one or more cores with less intensive inspections using one core. In addition, Sherlock can be almost infinitely configured to run multiple cameras into one investigation or multiple investigations with single or multiple cameras.

Sherlock in action

A contact lens manufacturer needed to read 1D, 2D and human readable codes on a packaging production line. This application was particularly challenging due to the number of part variances, and the incredibly tight physical constraints for the cameras and illumination.

Vision systems integrator, SIGA Vision, worked closely with vision technology supplier, STEMMER IMAGING, to develop a system that featured five asynchronous cameras using a single vision processor with multiple Sherlocks running. Demanding and complex projects such as these benefit from the joint expertise and breadth of technology offered by such a partnership.